While the internet provides a benefit galore, there is always the looming specter of privacy breaches as well as major inconveniences. Cybercriminals can access your data and use it to their own benefit. Additionally, some restrictions will not allow you to see or even download the content that you love.

In certain countries like Turkey, the government has strict restrictions on how the internet is used, and some governments might also snoop in on what the internet user is engaged in.

Luckily, by using the best VPNs like ExpressVPN, you can get to surpass these restrictions as well as ensure that your data is safe over the internet. However, not every VPN is similar, and picking the right service provider will ensure that you optimize your investment in terms of pricing, internet speed, privacy and customer support.

Dive in to learn more about why you need the services in Turkey and choosing the best VPN service provider:

Why Use A VPN In Turkey?

1. Gain Access to Restricted Websites

Using VPNs in Turkey will benefit you with more than data privacy.

Internet freedom has for some time now been strangled by the Turkish government which has been looking to reduce its opposition. In line with this quest, the government has resulted in the restriction of a variety of website that might seem to go against the policies of the current government.

Some of these sites include sites that go are critic of the government policies and those that post content that is considered defamatory to the Islam religion.

Additionally, sites that post anything that might seem borderline terrorist-driven have also been banned. Since the description of what terrorism is according to the government is quite wide, a lot of sites may soon suffer from this.

2. Evade Government Surveillance

Although the Turkish constitution firmly states that people have the freedom of secrecy in communication, the government has been criticized from time to time on breaching this right.

It exercises strict restrictions on the anonymization and encryption of data. It has been known to encourage the bulk retention of user data, specifically by Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

These ISPs are typically required to hold the data of their users for a period of about one year. According to the government, an ISP is any business that offers internet connection in exchange for money.

This includes both cyber cafés and hotels. As such, surfing using the internet of these businesses without using a protected internet connection leaves you exposed to government surveillance.

3. Gain Access to Social Media Sites When Blocked

The Turkish government tends to block social media sites in times of civil or political unrest. Sites such as WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook have all been subjected to this at some time in the recent past.

These temporary restrictions impair the communication of most people within the country which reduces the resistance to the government.

In fact, Wikipedia was permanently blocked by the government. There is also the looming threat that the government will also be watching user accounts when these sites aren’t restricted.

A good VPN will offer you privacy and access while using these sites both when they are blocked or not.

4. Gain Access to Restricted Streaming Content

Turkey limits the content that it licenses for viewership within the country. Anything that is defamatory to the Islam religion is restricted from the streaming sites. This means that the content that will be available to you on sites like Netflix will be different from the content that will be available in the U.S among other countries.

Content to deal with terrorism and LGBT is highly censored, even though it only touches a slight part of the video content that you are streaming.

VPN Bans in Turkey

The use of VPNs is an obvious thorn in the fulfillment of the policies of the Turkish government. As such, the government has been looking to ban the use of VPN services to access the internet in the country.

On the other hand, most savy VPN service providers have come up with ways to mask the fact that an internet user is using the service to access restricted sites and the internet at large.

Therefore, your choice of service provider truly matters if you would like to stay away from trouble with the government.

Choosing the Right VPN Service Provider

1. Privacy

While VPNs play a pivotal role in enhancing the privacy of their users, the need for strict and deep-seated privacy features becomes elevated in restrictive countries such as Turkey. The service provider should keep no logs concerning the sites that you visited to limit the evidence that can be used by the government to identify you.

To prevent the intervention of hackers and other cyber criminals, they should also embrace anonymization techniques such as data encryption.

As an added feature, they should also offer privacy-friendly payment methods such as bitcoin which will limit your exposure to government surveillance.

2. Hiding VPN Usage

As mentioned above, the government has banned the use of VPNs in the country. Although the ban against VPNs hasn’t taken a foothold in the country, it is expected to do so soon.

As such, the service provider that you choose should offer the alternative of hiding the fact that you are accessing the internet while using their services.

3. Internet Connection Speed

Your gratification with a VPN service provider will typically be tied to the speed of the internet while using their services, especially if you are streaming videos or even gaming online. Some service providers will check off all the above requirements but fall short in that they will slow down your internet connection.

Other than choosing the right internet service provider, it is also wise to pick the VPN service provider wisely. Another requirement that is closely related to internet connection speed would be the allowed bandwidth.

Speed can be useless if you are limited in terms of bandwidths usage. In line with this, you should look for a vendor who offers a bandwidth usage limit that fits your expected usage with those that offer unlimited bandwidth winning in this sector.

4. Killswitch

Will you be left unprotected if you were to lose connection to the servers of your VPN service providers? Working with a provider that doesn’t offer you a kill switch option will expose you to the exact things that you were escaping from when using their services.

A kill switch ensures that your connection to the internet will be cut short in the occurrence of such an event. However, most service providers who offer this feature offer it as an optional service and you can easily deactivate it.

5. Customer Support

Whenever you want to raise a concern about the services of the VPN provider, their customer support will have a big role to play. It can be frustrating to try contacting the support staff but to no avail, which makes quality customer support a necessity.

A good provider will offer support in terms of trouble ticket submission system, live chats, and a self-service support library. Additionally, their support staff should be quick at responding to any concerns that you might have.

6. Global Server Coverage

In countries like turkey where certain video and gaming content is censored by the government, you will need to access sites offering such content while using the façade of another country.

As a result, using a service provider that can offer a wide range of server coverage will give you the luxury to pick the location to use as your façade. Compare the global server coverage of all service providers that you might be interested in to make the right choice.

7. Price

Price should only be a complementary requirement rather than being the main feature that you look for in a provider.

When comparing the prices of the service providers, it is wise to visit their websites to determine whether they have promotional prices or not.

While some might require you to use the service for a specified period, most will reduce the cost of paying for the service.

8. Multiplatform Support

The right VPN service provider should offer multiplatform support. For situations where you might need to use more than one device to access their software, the ability to use devices that have different operating systems is vital.

The more the devices you can use simultaneously the better for you and anyone else who you might share the services with.

When shopping for a VPN service, ensure that your vendor embraces diversity in the number of platforms allowed as well as how many devices can connect simultaneously.

Pros

Among the biggest selling points of the service is that it has a strong support staff, which improves the user experience. On the other hand, it originates from the British Virgin Islands which makes it out of reach for the Turkish jurisdiction.

It is also user-friendly which makes it a good choice for people who would like more privacy, but the conception that VPNs are complex makes them fear using them. It also offers great privacy protection through encrypting user data and failing to store logs.

It accepts a bevy of payment options including PayPal and Bitcoin which makes it a secure choice. Additionally, it allows the use of multiple devices simultaneously, making it a great option for multitasking.

Since its servers are located in 90+ countries around the globe, it is a great choice when looking to access content restricted in Turkey.

Cons

Although the UK government doesn’t restrict this service provider, it can easily do so which can bring out unexpected policies. While they do offer discounts from time to time, their services are slightly more expensive than the average rate of other VPNs.

However, if you are looking for great performance and privacy, their services match the prices.

2. CyberGhostVPN

CyberGhostVPN is known for its ease-of-use, strong encryption protocols, and its 5 simultaneous connections, which should please multi-device owners.

Pros

You can take advantage of the security of this service provider as they offer double encryption which makes it safe for use in Turkey. The service will allow you to use a total of five devices at the same time and the software is compatible with a variety of operating systems.

This feature makes it convenient for anyone looking to use multiple platform devices to access the internet.

Their connection is also fast which makes it a good choice when streaming on the internet. In case you get disconnected from their servers, you can always rely on their kill switch option to keep you protected.

Lastly, if you are dissatisfied by their services, they offer you a 30-day money back guarantee that can always come in handy.

Cons

Sadly, their live support is only available through live chat or email ticket. This makes it a tough choice for people who would love to call the support staff and air their concerns.

On the other hand, trust might be an issue as the company has had some fall out in the past where one of their updates formed a controversy with people suspecting them for spying on them.

However, they make up for this through exercising enough transparent in how they do their business.

3. IPVanish

Pros

Other than providing a secure connection, this provider offers unlimited bandwidth which makes it a great option for people looking to play online games and streams movies. They also have a low pricing system as well as a money back guarantee that extends to two weeks.

When using their services, you will be allowed two simultaneous connections which is great when multitasking with different devices.

Their software is also easy to use, making it a good choice for beginners looking to venture into the world of VPNs.

They also embrace taking their customer through every step of the way through their live chat option which you can use to contact support for troubleshooting needs or questions.

Cons

Sadly, their software isn’t compatible with iOS which means that you cannot use your iPhone to take advantage of their services.

While it can still access platforms such as windows and Android, the unavailability of the iOS platform reduces the number of people it can reach.

When compared to ExpressVPN, on the other hand, their customer support is a little bit more slowly.

5. Hotspot Shield

Pros

Hotspot Shield offers security through encrypting the connections to the software. The software also doesn’t log the connection data which means that you get to use the internet incognito. In case you are worried about IP leaks, it can offer you protection against them, not to mention that it has a kill switch option.

As for the user experience, it has a minimalist user interface that is quite easy to use. Lastly, it offers a 45-day money back guarantee for anyone who might feel unsatisfied with their services.

Cons

The service provider doesn’t allow torrent download which can be a disadvantage for anyone looking to download large volumes of data, both for work or entertainment purposes. The software also supports ads.

Unless you are on the elite plan or above, this will be a great source of inconvenience.

The Best VPN Service Providers in Turkey

Hotspot Shield

The free version of Hotspot Shield promises fast connection with high levels of encryptions. As a result, you can surf the internet with little fear that your data will be in the hands of predatory cybercriminals. It is also compatible with a diversity of devices, but you are only allowed to use a single device with your free account.

It has servers in a variety of countries which makes it great for gaining access to geo-restricted content while turkey. You are also limited to 500mbs per day which makes it a bad choice when looking to stream videos but a great choice for on-the-go surfing.

Sadly, the free version supports ads, making it inconvenient for people who want an ad-free experience.

TunnelBear

TunnelBear promises a decently fast internet connection not to mention its user-friendly interface which makes it great for beginners. It allows you to access servers from 22+ countries which makes access geo-restricted content quite easy.

The service provider takes privacy seriously and offers encryption for any traffic going through their application. Your data will also not be logged, making surfing anonymously quite easy.

However, you can only access a total of about 500mbs per month when using their service. They do not also allow tormenting or streaming, making it only great for surfing the web.

Windscribe

Windscribe tends to be quite generous in terms of the data limit that they offer which amounts to up to 10GB per month. On the other hand, both free and paid users of the services can have access to their ad blocker.

However, they do retain some of the user data but have a well-detailed user privacy policy which explains what data they store.

They do also have a no logs policy. Lastly, the company restricts your access to servers from 10 out of their available 50 countries.

Why Paid VPNs Are Better Than Free Versions

Free VPNs offer you bandwidth caps which make life tough for anyone who wants to stream or play online games. On the other hand, some of the free VPN versions limit the number of countries from which you can access the geo-restricted content. Other platforms also tend to record your data.

This data can be sold to third party vendors who can use this data to offer you ads that are targeted to your internet usage behavior. Lastly, free VPNs might leave you vulnerable to IP leaks especially if they aren’t from high-end service providers. This means that the government can easily identify you as a VPN user in VPN-banned countries like Turkey.

Luckily, paid VPN services negate the above issues by the mere fact that you pay for the services. Service providers such as ExpressVPN offer high-end security through data encryption. They also do not limit the number of devices that you can use, and neither do they limit your global server coverage.

In fact, service providers such as ExpressVPN will offer you unlimited bandwidth and unlimited access to their global coverage. You can also try their one-month free trial to test their services.

Paid VPN versions also boast high speeds for smooth internet access, video streaming and playing online games. On the other hand, they also offer a strong customer support system with most of them having live chat features.

This ensures that you can get any issue sorted as soon as possible.

The Verdict

The clear winner in this review would be ExpressVPN. Other than having a borderline ever-present support staff, they promise high levels of security which are like gold in the world of VPN.

The fact that it has unlimited bandwidth and a wide global server coverage makes it a great option for accessing an unlimited volume of geo-restricted content.

While it might be somehow more expensive than the average cost of VPNs, it covers for this downside through great service.